Overflow nurse?

[GeminiTwinRN, BSN]

Has anyone heard of this terminology for a position before? I'm graduating in a couple of weeks and have been hired in as an "overflow nurse". The NM of the unit says it doesn't mean anything different for me (I'm still fulltime, eligible for benefits, etc.) it just means that it doesn't count against her budget.

I've never heard of this before, and I just wanted to get some opinions on it from you guys.

Thanks!

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

Wow, I've never heard of this before. If you don't count against her budget, I'm wondering if you'll be the first to get called off due to low census, etc. Usually overflow refers to a floor that's opened when the hospital's census is high, and they staff it with nurses drawn from regular floors. My advice would be to thoroughly research what this position means, especially in regards to you getting called off. A job is no good if you can't get the hours.